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A review by illstoptheworldandreadwithyou
Darkhearts by James L. Sutter
4.0
When tragedy strikes, two former best friends and ex-bandmates reconnect and fall in love in this YA read from James L. Sutter.
David didn’t expect to see Chance and Eli again. They took the band he helped create and became famous without him. They traveled the globe. They became teen heartthrobs. And David? He stayed back in high school, working construction with his dad in the summer and forging a friendship with a new best friend.
Then the unthinkable happens. Eli passes away, and David finds himself in Chance’s orbit again for the summer. As he begrudgingly begins to rebuild a friendship with Chance, he finds himself feeling something more—something he’s never felt for a guy before.
I enjoyed David and Chance’s story. It’s an honest portrayal of David’s feelings in the midst of major change and upheaval in his life. He’s taking the SATs, trying to figure out his next steps after high school, and lamenting the loss of a dream. He is experiencing grief at the loss of one friend and now has unexpected feelings for another. With these discoveries about himself, he tries to reframe his perspective and to figure out how everything fits, but due to Chance’s fame, he’s left to process many of these feelings in secret. How should he define himself now? He’s not part of the famous Darkhearts, but could he be again? He’s not just attracted to girls, but what label should he use?
Sutter captures the giddiness of young love and the mix of emotions that comes along with its related firsts but doesn’t shy away from the accompanying confusion, hurt, jealousy, and miscommunication.
I listened to the audiobook version. Narrator Ramon de Ocampo’s voice perfectly portrays David’s youthfulness, his moments of hesitation and excitement, and his frustration and elation. I listened to this one mainly at 1.5x speed.
I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.
David didn’t expect to see Chance and Eli again. They took the band he helped create and became famous without him. They traveled the globe. They became teen heartthrobs. And David? He stayed back in high school, working construction with his dad in the summer and forging a friendship with a new best friend.
Then the unthinkable happens. Eli passes away, and David finds himself in Chance’s orbit again for the summer. As he begrudgingly begins to rebuild a friendship with Chance, he finds himself feeling something more—something he’s never felt for a guy before.
I enjoyed David and Chance’s story. It’s an honest portrayal of David’s feelings in the midst of major change and upheaval in his life. He’s taking the SATs, trying to figure out his next steps after high school, and lamenting the loss of a dream. He is experiencing grief at the loss of one friend and now has unexpected feelings for another. With these discoveries about himself, he tries to reframe his perspective and to figure out how everything fits, but due to Chance’s fame, he’s left to process many of these feelings in secret. How should he define himself now? He’s not part of the famous Darkhearts, but could he be again? He’s not just attracted to girls, but what label should he use?
Sutter captures the giddiness of young love and the mix of emotions that comes along with its related firsts but doesn’t shy away from the accompanying confusion, hurt, jealousy, and miscommunication.
I listened to the audiobook version. Narrator Ramon de Ocampo’s voice perfectly portrays David’s youthfulness, his moments of hesitation and excitement, and his frustration and elation. I listened to this one mainly at 1.5x speed.
I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.